Experiential Group DiscussionPersonal stories involving race and what they can teach us as clinicians

Identity politics is increasingly influencing our society. Thus, we see less empathy and understanding between racial and ethnic groups. Fear and mistrust of the “other” is becoming more pervasive, shutting down honest productive dialogue. This workshop is designed to encourage and support an open conversation about race in America and how it impacts all of our lives.

Presented by

Chris Scott, LCSW, CGP is a Group Analyst and Certified Couples Therapist, with a specialty in training individual, couple and group therapists. He is on the faculty of the Training Institute for Mental Health and colleges & psychoanalytic institutes in the NYC area where he specializes in empathy-skills training.

Kimberly Bonds-Grocher, LCSW, SAP is a psychotherapist and coach who works with individuals and couples in her practice at the Weill-Cornell Psychiatry Specialty Center. She is an adjunct professor at Fordham University in the Graduate School of Social Service where she is also a doctoral student engaged in research on using media and technology to promote clinical practice and education. Kimberly is a graduate of the TIMH Couple Therapy Training Program.

Learning Objectives

1. Deconstruct empathy as a unique form of pro-social behavior and learn how empathic ability develops in the human psyche.

2. Learn how the Adlerian “psychology of feelings of inadequacy and superiority” plays a crucial role in all forms of discrimination.

3. Examine the unconscious aspects of racism on the level of individual mind, and as a group dynamic.

4. Recognize the psychological dynamics of the “dominant group” in society, and its negative impact on the non-dominant group.